A battle between Midwesterners: Minnesota’s Ken Martin takes the lead in DNC race

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The 448 voting members of the Democratic National Committee will decide Saturday who will lead the Democratic Party, still reeling from a major 2024 loss, into the future to counter President Donald Trump.

Eight candidates are in the running to replace outgoing DNC Chair Jaime Harrison. Minnesota DFL Chair Ken Martin, Wisconsin’s Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler and former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley are the three frontrunners. But party insiders say the race will likely come down to the two Midwesterners.

“You run like you’re 20 points behind, even if you’re 20 points ahead,’” Martin said in an interview heading into Saturday, invoking a phrase from his mentor, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. “That’s how we’ve been approaching this.”

Martin, who’s led the DFL since 2011, said he’s encouraged by the number of people who’ve committed to supporting him.

“I’m going to just keep working hard to have as many conversations as I can these next three days to make sure we run through the tape and we win this thing,” Martin said on Wednesday.

The three leading candidates have been locked in a fight over endorsements.

Martin’s campaign says he has 200 backers. Wikler, who just won the backing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, says he has 183 supporters, and O’Malley’s campaign says he has 137. But those numbers total more than the 448 DNC voting members, and none of the campaigns has released a full list of supporters.

“The battle lines are set, election’s on Saturday, I doubt that there will be any surprises,” said Luis Heredia, interim chair of the DNC’s Hispanic Caucus, who spoke with both Martin and Wikler twice but ultimately decided to back the Wisconsin Democrat. “The first ballot will indicate who’s lying, who had the numbers, who was projecting numbers.”

Candidates need a majority of votes to win. If none receives a majority of votes on the first ballot, the lowest vote-getter is eliminated and the next round of voting continues until a majority is reached.

O’Malley argued that the race is still up for grabs given that no one has volunteered a list.

“This is a very fluid and open race and we believe we are best positioned to build a winning coalition,” O’Malley said on X. “So, here’s my message to the 448 of you that still haven’t cast a vote. Do we want someone who can make unchecked promises and play inside baseball or someone who can lead and deliver for our party, for our Republic, and for our future?”

Though she is no longer a DNC voting member, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who’s friends with Martin and has worked alongside him for over two decades, is heading to Washington, D.C., to support him and whip votes on his behalf.

She’s watched Martin transform the DFL into what it is today with a 25-0 record in statewide races. Flanagan also sees Martin as the right leader who will unite the party and stand up to Trump.

“What we have seen in the first 10 days of this administration has been really difficult,” Flanagan said on Wednesday. “But what we’ve also seen is that when folks raise their voices, when they get engaged, when they push back, we can have an impact. And I think Ken is someone who can help to harness that, can give people direction and strategy.”

Since Sen. Tim Kaine left the DNC chair role in 2011, the party has been helmed by a diverse group of chairs. But Democrats have been losing support among Black and Latino voters in recent years as Republicans have maintained support from white adults.

Martin sees the emergence of three white men as the leading contenders in the race as more of a coincidence, rather than an attempt to appeal to white voters.

“I think it’s important for the next chair, whoever they are, to make sure we’re intentional about reflecting the great diversity of our party in everything that we do. From contracting, to procurement, to hiring, to our officers, and making sure that we’re intentional in terms of the outreach and organizing we do with those communities that have always been a part of our coalition,” Martin said.

Heading into the race, Bryan Kennedy, the mayor of Glendale, Wis., who heads the Democratic Municipal Officials, said he ultimately broke for Wikler. Kennedy said Wikler was able to achieve what Martin has — but faster.

“It took Ken 15 years to build this party to where it is now and it took Ben five,” Kennedy said.

Over the past decade, Martin helped raise $210 million for the state party and landed key Democratic wins, including a trifecta at the State Capitol in 2022. Meanwhile, Wikler has raised $183 million since he took over as chair in 2019.

“Ben is heading into the final days of this campaign with the support of seven major unions, nine governors, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, and a surge in DNC member support,” his spokesperson Brianna Johnson said in a statement, arguing that the “momentum is with Ben” and that more undecided voting members have been coming his way.

The candidates will meet for their last forum on Thursday and meet with various caucuses on Friday before the final vote on Saturday.